The study split a polygenic score for educational attainment into a cognitive component linked to intelligence and a non-cognitive component covering behaviour and circumstance, and tested each against Alzheimer's outcomes in two biomarker cohorts and two neuropathology cohorts, 3,483 participants in all. The cognitive component was inversely associated with clinical diagnosis in all four cohorts and with Braak stage in both post-mortem cohorts. The non-cognitive component showed no association with diagnosis, plasma biomarkers, amyloid PET status or CERAD scores.
Why it is interesting: It splits the apparent protective effect of education into a part that tracks neuropathology and a part that does not.